Hamilton staging ‘Beauty and the Beast’ Friday, Saturday

Zach Coddington, Halley McArn, and Leo Shiner rehearse a scene from Hamilton Central School’s production of “Beauty and the Beast” on Tuesday, March 18, 2014 in Hamilton.
JOHN HAEGER-ONEIDA DAILY DISPATCH @ONEIDAPHOTO ON TWITTER

Mark Dunckel and Paul Schult rehearse a scene from Hamilton Central School’s production of “Beauty and the Beast” on Tuesday, March 18, 2014 in Hamilton.
JOHN HAEGER-ONEIDA DAILY DISPATCH @ONEIDAPHOTO ON TWITTER

HAMILTON >> The Hamilton Masquers are bringing their audience in to the Disney world of “Beauty and the Beast” on March 21 and 22.

The school will present the Broadway rendition of the animated classic, which features a handful of new songs and a couple unique characters. It still follows the story of Belle, portrayed by Junior Halley McArn, and the Beast, portrayed by sophomore Zack Coddington, as they discover what love means. The Beast keeps Belle hostage in an attempt to break an evil curse while villages, lead by Belle’s unwanted suitor Gaston, played by freshman Paul Schult, assault his castle.

All three said the show has been challenging, but that the experience has been rewarding.

“Being the bad guy is the best,” Schult said. “It’s so much fun to be evil. I get to make all of the best jokes and be mean to everyone.”

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Schult said his favorite lines include “Every last inch of me is covered in hair,” and in a conversation with Belle: “On occasion, women can have their uses, too.” Schult said playing the villain is a great way to alleviate the stress of being a ninth-grader.

McArn said she loves her part because Belle is one of the more intellectual and interesting Disney Princesses, who prefers books and libraries over mirrors and wardrobes. She said Belle is also fun to play because she stays true to herself and her convictions.

McArn did admit that Belle wasn’t her favorite growing up, and that she was more of an Ariel fan.

“Honestly, I hadn’t even seen ‘Beauty and the Beast’ until last summer,” McArn said. “I really like the music in this show, and I think that it’s going to be a great performance.”

“Embracing Beast’s anger and getting down his roars and mood swings was difficult at first,” Coddington said. “Once you get really into it, it’s really fun.”

Coddington said the Beast has a lot of transitions throughout the show, and is an extremely emotional and ever-changing character. For him, the show is really about teamwork and how well the cast can coordinate and come together for the big musical numbers and choreographed routines.

“We’ve put a lot of work into this,” Coddington said. “Big shows like this are always challenging, but I believe that we have done a great job and that everything has come together.”

“I think as a cast, we have great chemistry,” McArn said. “We’ve all known each other for years, and I think it comes through on stage and you can really see how close we all are in the production.”

Hamilton will present “Beauty and the Beast” on March 21 at 7 p.m. and March 22 at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tickets are $6 for students and senior citizens and $8 for adults.

About the Author

Until December, 2014, Nick will was a staff writer at the Oneida Daily Dispatch. Hailing from Madison. Nick is a 2012 SUNY Plattsburgh graduate. In his time at The Dispatch, he focused on education, history and community events coverage in Madison and Southern Oneida counties. Reach the author at nwill@oneidadispatch.com
or follow Nick on Twitter: @DispatchNick.